Katz’s Deli will be serving a vegetarian pastrami sandwich for one day only
Finally, vegetarians will get to sort of get a taste of one of the most iconic New York sandwiches ever: for one day only, Katz’s Deli will be serving a vegetarian version of its uber-famous pastrami sandwich.
This Saturday, September 28, from noon until 4pm, guests will get to order the limited-time-only dish at Katz’s at 205 East Houston Street on the Lower East Side.
The dish is made with Badger Flame beets, which are actually beets bred entirely for flavor and used instead of the brisket that the sandwich usually features.
In the making of the menu item, the veggie is treated just like the pastrami is in the traditional version of the food: wet-brined, doused in spice rub, smoked, steamed, sliced and stuffed inside deli rye with mustard.
“We’ve been hunting for years for a vegetarian pastrami option, but everything we tried just wasn’t quite right,” Katz’s third-generation owner Jake Dell said to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Meat substitutes didn’t hold the flavor correctly and were sometimes full of additives anyway. Other vegetable recipes just didn’t hold up in a sandwich form.”
The sandwich is a collaboration between Katz’s’ and chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill. Barber actually also owns “seed to table” company Row 7, the organization behind the development of the Badger Flame beet. Barber will be at the deli to serve the food this weekend.
We haven’t tasted the culinary concoction just yet, but we can’t imagine veggies have ever tasted as good.